The reality is, if the white guys, like Bill and me who lead agencies, continue to be too afraid to meaningfully engage in conversations around diversity, inclusion, bias, racism, sexism, ageism and pay equity, real change will come too slowly and at too high a cost — if it comes at all.

So, we’re jumping in with both feet.

Over the coming months, OBERLAND will undergo a compensation study, environmental analysis, diversity and inclusion training, mental health training, harassment training, and a comprehensive HR policy audit — in public — in order to show other small-agency owners what this process is like and how it is a critical investment in a growing business. We’ll be publishing blogs, podcasts, additional videos and the results of these audits on a regular basis, leading to a comprehensive report about the changes we made to be used as a roadmap for other small agencies to follow as they grow.

We will also be inviting others from around the industry to participate by sharing stories with us, helping co-create content, and providing advice and perspective on our journey. To kick off the initiative, we created two pieces of provocative content highlighting racism and ageism within everyday agency life.